Washington—Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon said the next batch of F-35 stealth fighters, the most expensive planes in history, will be produced at a reduced cost.
They announced $728 million in savings after President Donald Trump publically upbraided Lockheed over “out of control” costs, although most of the savings were already planned ahead of his involvement, during a months-long contract negotiation.
The next production run of 90 F-35s will see the Air Force version of the plane, the F-35A, produced at a unit cost of $94.6 million, marking a 7.3 percent reduction from an earlier batch and pushing the price per plane below $100 million for the first time.
“President Trump’s personal involvement in the F-35 program accelerated the negotiations and sharpened our focus on driving down the price,” Lockheed said in a statement.
“The agreement was reached in a matter of weeks and represents significant savings over previous contracts.”
With a current development and acquisition price tag already at $379 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft – most destined for the Air Force – the F-35 is the most expensive plane in history, and costs are set to go higher still.
Once servicing and maintenance costs for the F-35 are factored in over the aircraft’s lifespan through 2070, overall program costs are expected to rise to $1.5 trillion.
Pentagon F-35 program head Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan said the agreement was a “good and fair deal for the taxpayers, the US government, allies and industry.”
The F-35 is also produced in versions for the Marine Corps and Navy.
The Marine model, the F-35B, will now be produced at a unit cost of $122.8 million, a 6.7 percent reduction.
The Navy’s F-35C will cost $121.8 million, down 7.9 percent.
Lockheed also said the deal would create 1,800 new jobs at its factory in Fort Worth, Texas.
Proponents tout the F-35’s radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air-support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparalleled access to information.
But the program has faced numerous setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to ground planes until the problem could be resolved.